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Package-Free Shop Reduces Waste in NYC

June 15th, 2017

If one was asked to fit a day's worth of waste into a container, how big of a container would it be? Now, picture four years worth of waste, except it can all fit comfortably inside of one jar.

For blogger and sustainable-living advocate Lauren Singer, she did just that. Singer, who runs a blog called Trash is for Tossers, chronicles her life living waste-free and encourages others to follow along.

Singer, along with her friend and fellow sustainability advocate Daniel Silverstein, are doing their part by bringing the first zero-waste lifestyle store to New York City. Package Free strips away the need to wrap items used every day in heaps of plastic.

"What Daniel and I have realized through trying to live a zero-waste lifestyle is that the lifestyle itself is really easy," Singer said in an interview with MindBodyGreen. "But finding all of the tools you need requires effort, time, and a bunch of different websites."

The pop-up shop will feature eco-friendly reusable tote bags, compostable toothbrushes, refillable dental floss and other products.

"We think of it less as a lifestyle store and more as a 'change your lifestyle' store," said Singer. "We want everyone who comes in to not just buy products but to get involved in this community we're trying to build."

The shop opened in Williamsburg on May 1 and will remain through July. If it proves to be a success in the New York area, it could become a permanent fixture in Brooklyn.

"There is no one-stop-shop for zero waste. No united space for makers of sustainable products. No hub for customers to learn about low-waste living. And that's a problem," Package Free's about page reads. "Enter Package Free. A shop dedicated to making low waste living simple."